Railway-car



E. A. STEINER.

RAILWAY CAR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 3o, 191s.

E. A. STEINER.

RAILWAY CAR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT, 30, 1918- 1,359,444. Patented Nov. 16, 1920.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3- I Cancun,

E. A. STEINER. RAILWAY CAR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT 30. ISIN,

5 SHEETSiSHEET 4.

illiillillllllll Patented Nov. 16, 1920.

E. A. STEINER.

RAILWAY CAR.

APPLICATION man sEPT,3o.1918.

Patented Nov. 16, 1920.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5,

C1 Horno l UNITED STATES BARI-ING A.r STEINER, 0F HILLYARD, WASHINGTON.

l a citizen of the United States way-Cars,

PATENT GFFICE.

RAILWAY-CAB..

specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 16, 1920.

Application fil-ed September 30, 1918. Serial No. 256,312.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EARLING A. STEINER, residing at Hillyard', in the county of p'okane and State of Washington, 'have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railof which the'following is a speciication. Y

j The 'present invention ments in railway cars, of tlie convertible type, and the invention is specially designed to provvide a convertible car that may be used as a refrigerator car, a stock car, a box car, or a coal car and the changes may be made with facility and convenience, thus adapting the 'car for hauling one commodity to its destination, and-on the return haul adapting the car for carrying a different load, as for instance when the car is utilized to carry coal, after being emptied it may be steamed,

and cleanedand th'en converted to a refrigerator car for carrying perishable goods.

The invention consists. 1n certain novel combinations and arrangements of parts as hereinafter set forth and claimed, and in theaccompanying drawings I have illustrated one complete embodiment ofthe invention, constructed according to the best mode so far devised for the practical application of the principles of the invention.

Figure l is a perspective view of a railway car constructed according to the invention the car being shown at one end as a stock orq'cattle car, and at the other end being adapted for loading freight or merchandise. p

Fig. 2 is a sectional view, 'showingvin transverse section, one half of the car, adapted as a refrigerator car, and the other half equipped as a cattle car, the ice box walls being stored out of the boards of the car being arranged with the usual .spaces between them. Fig.v 3 is a detail view showing rollers andtrack for the movable bulkheads.

Figs. 4 and 5 are longitudinal sections, at the ends of the car, Fig. 4 showing the ice box to receive ice when converted as a refrigerator car, and Fig. 5 showing the ice wall or bulkhead at the end of the car moved to its extreme position to provide maximum capacity for loading.

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of aportion of the car showing theinsulation walls of the refrigerator in place', and also showrelates to improveway, and the side ing the suspending or supporting members for thewalls when not in use.

Fig. 7 is a detail view of the latch for holding the insulation sections rigid when in operative position.

Fig. 8 is a detail view of one of the holds for the hoisting hooks to lift the insulating wall members, these details being kshown in Fig. 6.

Fig. 9, Fig. 10, and Fig. 11 are details of the chain hoist for the ice box walls of the refrigerator and ioor or grating, one of these hoists being provided at each end of the car.

Figs. 12 and 13 are a plan and side view showing longitudinally one end of the car `to illustrate the top door through which grain, coal, or other similar material mayi be loaded into the car, and also showing the i ice doors for the refrigerator ends of the car.

Figs. 14 and 15 are enlarged detail plan and elevation views showing the running board on the top of the car and the relation thereto of the inlet doors for loading granular material to the car.

The convertible car is designed to comply with the rules of the Master Car Builders and of the Interstate Commerce Commission, and the invention involves the equipment of the usual standardv car with the enumerated devices whereby the different ends may be attained tocarry out the invention.

The car body, as a whole is designated by the numeral 1, and is rovided with the usual vertically hinged oors 2, 2, at the center and opening on both sides of the car,

and the floor 3 is of usual and standard construction, as is also the roof 4 of the car.

In converting the car for use as a refrigerator car an ice box 5 is formed at each end of the car, the side walls of the car being made up of insulating boards 6, whichin use they may be folded to position indi- 11o cated in Fig. 2 Where they are shown in vertical parallel position, and suspended from the ceiling 9 of the car on the hooks 10, shown as three in number at each slide of the car. The folds of the side insulation members are lifted to position by means of the chain hoist illustrated comprising the chain 11, sprocket wheel 12, Winding shaft 13, and hoist chain 1-l1`to which the end hook 15 is attached. A ratchet 16 and paWl 17 are employed to preventv reverse movement of the hoist when not required, and When the paWl is not required it may be turned back to dotted position in Fig. 11. A series of pulleys 18 is provided, spaced at different distances from the longitudinal axis of the car and the chain 11 is used on these selective pulleys in order to locate the hook in vertical position directly over the engaging handles or loops 19 on the folding sections 6, so that the chain 14 and its hook 15 will be lifted in vertical direction to give best results.

In Fig. 7 a detail is shown ofthe locking bolts 2O forming retainers for holding the foldable sections y6 andG in operative position'as in Fig. 6, or in foldedposition in Fig. 3.

folding section or board, and the bolt is held by means of the spring 22 in a notch or recess, (not shown) in the vertical rail 23, one of the latter being located at each end of the folding side Walls of the car.

At the ends of the car, bulkheads are provided, indicated as 24, and these bulkheads, which extend transversely of the car and form the fourth side or Wall of the ice boxes 5, are each formed with slats 25, that are fixed. and foldable or hinged slats 26 arranged alternately thereof, as indicated at 26a in Figs. fl and 5. In Fig. 4 the bulkhead is spaced from the end of the car and the slats 26 are turned to 'open .position so` that circulation of air may be maintained between the ice box and the interior ofthe car. The bulkhead also has the usual ventilating slats 2T. preferably of metal and the bulkhead also is provided with the usual metal lining or facing for protection of its parts, and the floor of the car, when-it is used as a refrigerator car, is provided with gratings 28, preferably in sections so that they may be liftedout of the way through the instrumentality of the chain hoists (Fig. 2) when not needed. When in use however,

the floor gratings provide an open-Work fioor for ventilation and circulation of air for the preservation of otherwise perishable goods.

The bulkhea'ds at the ends of the car for forming the ice boxes are slidable longitudinally of the car, and for this purpose they have suitable hangers to travel in the'nietallic trackways 29 secured to the Iside walls of The bolt 20 is adapted to slide y in the housing 21 which is attachedto the the car and just beneath the ceiling of the car, there being two trackways for each bulkhead and the bulkhead is suspended between these tracks. Each bulkhead has an upwardly swinging hinged door 30 through which material may be loaded in connection with the door 31 in the end of the car, these doors being utilized when it is required to load materials or freight of a length too great to permit their ingress through the side doors 2, 2. The ice forv the ice boxes is passed through the ice doors 32 33, located as usual in the roof ot the car near the ends, for cooling the interior of the car audits contents.

When the car' is to be converted foruse as a cattle or stock car, the bulkheads are moved back to extreme position as in-Fig. 5, the floor gratings 28 and the longitudinal, side, foldingboards 6 and 6 which form the insulation members for the refrigerator car, are hoisted up beneath the ceilingas in Fio. 2, andthen thel beveled side boards 2551-26 arecarranged as in Fig. 2. These boards 25', and -26 are arranged similar to the boards 25 26 on the bulkheads at the` ends of the car, alternate boards being'l hinged` to the fixed boards, and the boards extend from the ends of the car tothe center doors at both sides of the car.y

' At the sides and bottom of the car, are pro'- vided four longitudinally extending floor strips 34, best shown in Fig. 2. These strips are hinged to the sides ofthe car and extend from t-he ends of the car toward the center doors thereof, and when turned Aup as in,-

Fig. 3 they leave an open space at.. the floor line through which debris may be pushed when cleaning the car and thus provide a sanitary arrangement for cleaning the stock car. When used asa freight car. as in Fig. 1, or as a refrigerator car as in Fig. 2, this strip is turned down and under the car side to close the space.y lVhen equipped for shipment of cattle or stock, the convei'tedcar is well ventilated and open, as indicated at the left end of the car in Fig. 1, and the double thickness of slats or strips 25 26 render the sides of the car substantially stronger to bear strains from the cattle when pushing against the sides of the car. i v ln converting the' car for a box car, these folding slats 25 26 are arranged in closed position, at the right in Fig. 1, and then the freight may be loaded y through the side doors usual. i

lVhen loading the car with grain 0r coal, or other granular material, it is desirable that the car be loaded by pouring the material, and for this purpose a door as 35 is arranged near each end of the car, in its roof, the hinged connection beingindicated at 36, and a handle or handles indicated at 37, in Figs. 12 to 13. ln order to comply with the rules of the Master Car Builders and the re- `uirements of the Interstate Commercev ommission, the runnin board 38 on the to of the car is provi ed with staggered jolnts 39 arranged beyond `the ends o these doors 35, so that when the door is opened,

the movable section 40 ofthe board is lifted with the hinged door, and when the door is closed a dangerous joint is eliminated and a smooth and even surface is presented 'at the joints. To securely hold the doors and movable section of the running board in'place, transversely arranged cotter pins or bolts 41 are provided which are passed through alined perforations in the boards of the running board, as best seen in Fig. 14, and they bolts ma be provided with chalns 42 fastened to t e roof of the vcar to prevent loss. The usual grain car door, at the inte- 'rior of the hinged side doors of the car, is

provided by the boards 43 that are stowed away in the compartment 44 beneath the car floor (Fig 2). when not in use and when grain is to be fed to the car through the doors 35,l these grain boards are taken out and placed in proper position in the doorways at the sides of the car.

or disposing ofthe coal or grain from the car and unloadin it with facility, four v hopper, and these are held in place bymeans of the chains 48 which ass over the pulleys 49v tothe winding s afts 50, by

means of which the doors are closed. The

plugs 46 are stowed away under the roor` of the car whenl not in use.

As before stated, the grain boards to be used at the doors when loading grain or coal, are stored under the ioorof the car,

the rack floor or auxiliary floor 28 used` with the car is adapted for carrying perish-l able'goods is elevated and held suspended in the same manner as the sideboards or insulation boards 6 6', these floor gratings and wall members bein shown in elevated and stored position in ig. 3.

A heater door 51 is shown at the right in Fig. 6, and one of these doors is provided at each side of each end of the car, so that the four doors may be utilized for attending to stoves or heaters placed in the four corners of the car when it is desired to heat the car to preserve perishable goods in transit. y

1. The combination in a convertible railway car, of movable-bulkheads at the ends of the car having hin ed'slats to form openings through the bul eads for circulation of air, means `for holding said bulkheads spaced from the car ends to form ice charnbers at the car ends, and removable side walls within the car forming insulation members for the compartment between the two bulkheads.

2. The combination in a convertible car of spaced bulkheads, each formed with alternately hinged slats to provide openings through the bulkheads and means for su porting the bulkheads, of hinged, foldablle side walls within the car-forming insulation members for the compartment between the bu-lkheads.

3. The combination in a railway car having bulkheads spaced from the ends of the car to form ice chambers and said bulkheads having slats arranged to fold alternately one upon another, said bulkheads forming between them a compartment, and foldable hinged boards in said compartment between the bulkheads and the center door ways of the car forming an insulation wall, andA means for elevating andholding suspended said foldable boards, as YAdescribed.

4. A railroad car having its walls composed of horizontal boards spaced apart from each other to formbetween them ventilating openings, and other boards hinged t0 the first named boards to swing into and out 'of position between adjacent of the iirst named boards to convert the car into an open or closed car, all the said boards havin their edges beveled.

n testimony whereof I aliix my signature.

EARLING A. STEINER. 

